Be Not Greedy in Your Clutch
by eprime
Summary: Peter thinks about how much he loves his friends and gets a grip on his future. Darkish. Mind Control.


The common room was crowded that night, full of exuberant students who'd just finished projects and exams and were now chatting about their Christmas plans and anticipating tomorrow's trip on the Hogwarts Express. Peter sat in one of the comfortable armchairs by the fire balancing a plate of biscuits on one knee and cradling a teacup in both hands.

Sirius and Remus were sprawled on the floor in front of the hearth, a shallow bowl of brandy and raisins alight with flame between them. Sirius was half-reclined on one elbow, laughing heartily as Remus as snatched a raisin from the bowl. Blue flame dripped down his fingers as he tossed the burning raisin into his mouth. Shouts of approval rang out here and there, and Remus dipped his head regally, adding an elaborate hand-flourish to indicate his acknowledgement of their praise and to extinguish the flames.

James and Evans, _Lily_, sat practically entwined on a loveseat directly across from Peter, beaming at the two boys on the floor. "Hear, hear!" James shouted, then burst into song.

_Here he comes with flaming bowl,_

_ Don't he mean to take his toll,_

_ Snip! Snap! Dragon!_

_ Take care you don't take too much,_

_ Be not greedy in your clutch,_

_ Snip! Snap! Dragon!_

_ With his blue and lapping tongue_

_ Many of you will be stung,_

_ Snip! Snap! Dragon!_ [*]

Peter had to laugh, too, a surge of fondness making his chest tighten a bit, making his eyes prick a little as he watched them all in high Christmas spirits and their aura of beautiful and eternal youth. How lucky he was to have them. It might be all due to a coincidence of proximity, but he would take that, and gladly. Hadn't they had been there for each other all these years, through thick and thin? And then some? And Peter had always done his share, hadn't he? He deserved his place in the sun with them.

They would stay together even after four of them were going to get a flat together in London after Hogwarts. They had been planning it since fifth year, and after sixth year Sirius had actually used the unexpected windfall from his Uncle Alphard to buy a largish, two-bedroom flat in a decent neighborhood. Sirius and James would share a room, of course, and Remus and Peter. That had been, _still was_, Peter reminded himself, the plan.

Only-and Peter shifted uncomfortably on the chair, almost tipping the plate of biscuits to the floor.

"Careful there, Pete!" Sirius caught the edge of the plate and pushed it back onto Peter's leg.

Peter grinned and nodded his thanks. _Only_- This year Evans, _Lily_, had finally agreed to go out with James, and to be honest James could talk and think about nothing else. Even Sirius got impatient with his endless effusions about her sometimes. Sometimes, just sometimes, Peter wondered if James might not decide he'd rather go off with her instead.

He hadn't been too worried, though, because half the time Evans still thought James was an arrogant toerag and refused to speak to him for hours, sometimes days. What _had_ started to worry him was when he noticed the way Remus began to follow Sirius with his eyes whenever they were in the same room together (which was very often). He didn't think James had noticed (too caught up in _her_), and Sirius was so self-involved sometimes it took a while for him to actually pay attention to things.

Peter thought one day he'd figured it out, though, and from the rare times he had caught Sirius staring at Remus (Sirius was either more subtle or more careful), he was pretty sure that it wouldn't be an unwelcome realization. If Remus and Sirius got together then Peter wasn't sure at all where he would stand. That just hadn't been an acceptable thought.

The idea had come from his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson at the first of the year. They had studied the Unforgivable curses-just the theory, of course, but Peter was intrigued. He understood completely why the _Cruciatus_ curse and the killing curse were illegal. The thought of them made him shudder. But, really, the _Imperius_ curse just seem so _useful_.

He'd had to be careful, but his rat form had taught him all about how to be furtive and unseen when he wanted. It took some trial and error, though. Sirius had been his first test subject. One night when they were alone in their tower room, and Sirius actually had been writing an essay for Ancient Runes, Peter had grasped his wand under his pillow and whispered _Imperio_, silently directing a command at Sirius.

Sirius's eyes had gone vacant for a second, then he had frowned, shook his head, and gone back to writing. Peter had figured that it was just a first try and at least there'd been _some_ effect, but no matter how many times he'd tried after that his efforts were failures.

Then he'd gotten his brilliant idea. Sirius was smart and sharp and willful. If Peter couldn't take him head on, he could try another way. That night he'd waited until everyone had gone to bed. James was snuffling in his sleep and Remus was long gone, tired after the recent moon. But he could hear soft rustling movements from Sirius's bed. He knew Sirius was wanking. He knew how long he took and the sounds he made. It was unavoidable.

When he thought Sirius had gotten good and started he pointed his wand and whispered. The sounds from Sirius's bed faltered. Peter held his breath, focusing harder. And then the sounds started again, faster, and a tiny groan sounded through the closed curtains of Sirius's bed. Peter could _feel_ it working, he could feel his thoughts, _his_ commands, coiling through Sirius's mind like thick fog.

He knew what Sirius was thinking, what he was doing, because Peter had willed it. Quietly, Peter kicked away his covers and pushed his pajama pants over his hips, just enough to free his cock. He stroked himself slowly...Imperio, he mouthed again with more force, wand clutched tightly in the wrong hand. _Imperio_...and _Sirius_...

_Sirius crawls across the floor toward James, slinking like a cat in heat instead of like the dog he is. He is...he is naked. Skin gleaming in the light coming from the almost-full moon. In the shack...James is on the bed, reclining like a God, shirt half undone, a bottle of firewhiskey clasped loosely in his fingers._

_ It's you, Sirius says. It's you I want. I've always wanted you._

_ He crawls to the foot of the bed and climbs up, waiting for a sign, a word._

_ James looks him over, running his eyes over every inch he can see and then takes a careless swallow from the bottle and tosses it aside where it shatters on the floor in sparkling fragments._

_ Would you crawl over broken glass for me, he asks_.

For me, Peter thinks.

_Sirius moans, inching forward on the bed slowly...slowly. Yes, he breathes. For you._

_ James smiles. _

_ Would you give up everything for me?_

For me.

_Yes. Sirius nods, running his tongue across his bottom lip...it shines in the moonlight, full and inviting. Everything._

_ James reaches forward, his thumb caressing the wet slick mouth, pushes his fingers inside, lets Sirius suck them , moaning...hips thrusting into air._

_ Will you do anything for me? he asks_.

For me.

_Anything, anything, James, Sirius gasps. Only-_

_ James laughs. Only-_

_ Fuck me...use me..._

_ Sirius surges up against James, writhing against him, like a common little slut._

_ Please, he begs, please James._

Peter had come silently, biting his fist so hard it left a perfect circle of teeth and had to be spelled away in the morning before the others could see. He'd lost control at that point but he considered the experiment a success, and there had been more nights to practice. James had been next and Peter had filled his nights with thoughts of Sirius.

The only time he had gotten nervous was when he tried it on Remus and just for kicks had implanted his own image there. Things went as usual until Remus had broken off in the middle of things and sat up, breathing harshly in the cold air of the dormitory. Peter hadn't dared move a muscle until Remus finally fell asleep. The next day Remus had given him strange looks all day and Peter hadn't tried again with him.

He wasn't quite sure exactly what he intended to do with his experiments. He didn't know what might come of them. Probably nothing, he thought, turning his gaze outward once more and smiling fondly at his friends. It's not like he _wanted_ to come between James and Evans, _Lily_. She was a lovely girl, really. And Remus and Sirius would probably be good for each other. They would never exclude him from their lives. Yes. He was quite happy with how things were.

[*] a href=".org/wiki/Snap-dragon_%28game%29"Snap-dragon (game). Wikipedia./a

Quote comes from Robert Chambers' Book of Days (1879) the game was accompanied by a chant


End file.
